Dominating the glass, the Miami Heat surged past the Utah Jazz with relentless offensive rebounds and second-chance points for a resounding victory.
Salt Lake City, UT - The Miami Heat were looking to get back in the win column after a difficult loss against the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night, with a final score of 127-110. It's been a difficult West Coast road trip, especially after the loss of second-year center Kel'el Ware, who has traveled back to Miami to seek further treatment for a hamstring injury. A thin rotation only got thinner.
The Jazz had the sixth-worst record in the league entering the matchup, being the second-youngest team in the league. However, they were without All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen (reconditioning) and Kevin Love (left knee contusion). The Heat remained without All-Star guard Tyler Herro (right costochondral; rib), Davion Mitchell (left shoulder sprain), and Ware.
The starting lineups:
Heat: Kasparas Jakucionis-Norman Powell-Pelle Larsson-Andrew Wiggins-Bam Adebayo
Jazz: Keyonte George-Svi Mykhaliluk-Ace Bailey-Cody Williams-Jusuf Nurkic
After a slow start, trailing 13-7, the Heat sparked a 14-4 run, with Bam Adebayo scoring seven points during that run. They closed the first quarter with a 35-34 advantage. One of the early keys was grabbing 18 rebounds, 10 from the offensive glass, which resulted in 11 second-chance points.
The aggressiveness continued throughout the second quarter, grabbing another set of 18 rebounds, nine from the offensive glass, resulting in eight second-chance points. The Heat sparked a strong 19-6 run, which helped pull away from the Jazz in the double-digit margins, having a 73-52 advantage heading into halftime.
Despite a much-improved performance by the Jazz in the third quarter, scoring 26 points in the paint, the Heat closed the game with a 27-9 run, to claim the victory with a final score of 147-116.
Adebayo finished with 26 points, 15 rebounds, two assists, and a block in 31 minutes. Dru Smith followed with a unique 4x5 performance: six points, 10 rebounds, five assists, five steals, and a block in 26 minutes coming off the bench.
The Heat finished with 64 total rebounds compared to the Jazz's 34, with 26 coming from the offensive glass, and scoring 22 second-chance points. They had an improved three-point shooting performance, making 19 out of 47 attempts, 40.4 percent.
After having a horrendous, inefficient performance against the Blazers on Thursday, Nikola Jovic finished with 23 points, including three three-pointers made, three rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block in 25 minutes coming off the bench.
It was a much-needed victory as the Heat will close the five-game West Coast road trip on Sunday against the Phoenix Suns, who will be without All-Star guard Devin Booker.
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